HENRY ST. CLAIR MEMORIAL HALL. Still a work in progress in 1911 as described in the G.H.S. Annual for that year: Doubtless the thing that holds the foremost place as an object of pride in the hearts of the people of Greenville, is the new Henry St. Clair Memorial Building, now nearing completion on West Fourth Street. Although we have fortunately secured a picture for publication, which will give those who have not seen it some idea of its exterior magnificence, still this cannot convey by any means an adequate description of the elegance and luxury of the interior. That we have such a gift is due to the philanthropy and generosity of the late Henry St. Clair, who, at his death, gave the sum of $100,000, with directions that it should be used for the construction of such a building. It is impossible to express the thanks and gratefulness that the public must feel for such a magnanimous gift, for this can be shown only by the use they make of it. The building will contain an auditorium with a seating capacity of twelve hundred, the Manual Training, Domestic Science, Art, and Kindergarten departments; also Art Gallery, Club Rooms, Board of Education, and Clergy rooms, all equipped in the most modern and elegant manner. The auditorium will contain a magnificent pipe organ, the gift of Mrs. St. Clair, and the stage will be fitted for the best of plays and operas. The building is certainly something for Greenville to be proud of, and, as it will in the future play an important part in high-school life, we produce a picture of it in this publication. NOTE: The building, whose cornerstone was laid on June 30, 1910, would be dedicated on May 3, 1912. One hundred thousand dollars in 1908 (when Henry St. Clair made the donation in his will) would be equal to about $2.5 million today. The Class of 1911 was certainly right about it being as magnificent on the inside as on the outside, as well as accurate in its prediction that it would play an important part in high school life. I remember going there numerous times during my days at G.H.S. (1960-64), especially before they built the new Senior High on Green Wave Way, and we all went to the old four-year Greenville High next to Memorial Hall !
Posted on: Sun, 19 Jan 2014 00:35:14 +0000
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